September 17, 2008

15 militants killed: three soldiers die in suicide attack




ISLAMABAD ( 2008-09-17 03:15:36 ) :At least three paramilitary troops were killed and half a dozen more injured in a suicide attack in Swat valley on Tuesday, officials said. "A car suicide bomber struck at a camp of paramilitary Frontier Corps in Totano Bandi area of Kabal sub-district late in the night," army spokesman Major Murad Khan told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Following the attack, the militants fired several rockets at the militants, triggering a firefight which continued for several hours. Swat, previously a popular tourist destination in NWFP has seen intensive fighting since last October when Islamabad dispatched thousands of military troops to quell the rebellion of the followers of a radical cleric, Maulana Fazlullah.

He had launched an armed campaign to enforce Taliban rule in the area. His spokesman Muslim Khan claimed the group's responsibility for the attack saying it was carried out to avenge ongoing military operations in Swat and tribal region along Afghan border.

Meanwhile, Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships and jets shelled hideouts of militants, killing 15 rebels, a security official said on Tuesday. Government forces launched a major offensive against rebel positions in the rugged Bajaur region near the Afghan border last month.

The operations have left nearly 700 people dead, mostly militants and also displaced 260,000. "Troops killed at least 15 militants and wounded 20 others in shelling that started Monday afternoon and continued until Tuesday morning," a security official told AFP.

There was no immediate independent verification of the casualty figures. The troops, also using heavy artillery, targeted militant positions in the areas of Tang Khata, Rashakai and Loisam, he said. US and Afghan officials have repeatedly claimed that the mountainous region is used by militants to launch cross-border attacks on international troops based in Afghanistan.

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